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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 1994)
0 p t«m b «r 2 , 1 0 0 4 ▼ ju s t o u t P r o a n th o c y a n id in Nature's Most Powerful Free Radical Scavanger and Antioxident ProPlus Now available from Cornerstone Nutritional Products, Inc. We'll send you our Free Technical Report. Call (503) 293-7725 REPORT HOMOPHOBIC VIOLENCE national news First in the nation Domestic partner bill passes California legislature by a narrow margin ▼ by Rex Wockner C alifornia became the first U.S. state to pass a domestic partner registra tion law Aug. 25. The measure is on the desk of Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, who has not said if he will sign it. “We should do everything in our power to urge the governor to sign this bill,” said Laurie McBride of Life AIDS Lobby, the main pressure group behind the measure. “The legislature is getting more conservative— our window of opportunity is now.” The bill passed the Senate by a 21-17 vote, with not a vote to spare. It passed the Assembly 45-26 in final form. Senate passage came only after frustrated supporters went to the home of 76-year- old legislator Leroy Greene and fetched him from his sickbed to cast the decisive vote. The measure had sat stalled in the Senate for several hours prior to Greene’s arrival. Introduced by Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Los Angeles), the legislation allows commit ted couples who live together and share expenses to register with the secretary of state as “domestic partners” and receive some benefits of marriage. Registered partners would have family visita tion rights in hospitals, legal preference to admin ister each other’s affairs should one partner be come incapacitated, and the ability to use a stan dard legal form to will each other property. Lobbyists for the bill used a new tactic this year—arguing the measure would be good for senior citizens, who often live together without marrying to maintain certain Social Secu rity benefits. Testimony by senior citi zen advocacy groups was cru cial to the bill’s success, lob byists said. Supporters included the Older Women’s League, the Gray Panthers, the Califor nia Senior Legislature, the Cali fornia Congress of Seniors, and the American Association of Retired Persons. Sponsor Katz said the bill “reaffirms what I believe is a basic family value— the ability to care for some one you love.” Gov. Wilson’s fax number is (916) 445-4633. Testimony by senior citizen advocacy groups Evenings o f Passion. No Regrets In The Morning. The Portland Opera 1994-95 Season Puccini’s beloved LA BOHEME In Italian with projected Knglish Titles Sept. 24, 26, 28, Oct. I, 1994 Wagner’s breathtaking THE FLYING DUTCHMAN In German with projected Knglish Titles Nov. 5, 7,9, 12, 1994 Offenbach’s fantastical T h e T ales o f H o ffm a n n In French with projected Knglish Titles March 25, 27, 29, April 1, 1995 Rossini’s rollicking THE BARBER OF SEVILLE In Italian with projected Knglish Titles May 13, IS, 17, 20, 1995 Gershwin’s brilliant PORGY & BESS July, 1995 Plus PAVAROTTI ON NEW YEAR S EVE! Celebrating Portland Opera’s 30th /Anniversary Season with The Concert of a Lifetime! December 31, 1994 at 7:00 pm , Portland Memorial Coliseum Robert Bailey, General Director Portland Opera • 1516 SW Alder • Portland, OR 97205 was crucial to the bilTs success , lobbyists said. New White House counsel Abner Mikva’s appointment as White House counsel to the president may have significant impact for the lesbian and gay communities. The 68-year-old former representative is a traditional liberal. As chief judge of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Co lumbia, he wrote the opinion of a three-member panel that ruled in favor of Joe Steffan and his challenge to the ban on gay men and lesbians serving in the military. In the opinion, Mikva wrote, “A court need not close its eyes to the dictates of the Constitution whenever the military is involved—not even when it professes a national security interest in its conduct. There is no ‘military exemption’ to the Constitution.” San Diego’s Gay and Lesbian Times contributed to this article. He wrote, “The secretary [of defense] has accorded Mr. Steffan differential treatment solely because of the content of his thoughts, as revealed by his truthful statement that he is a homosexual. We think this is repugnant to the various common law and constitutional principles that guard the sanctity of a person’s thoughts against govern ment control.” Gay men and lesbians can take heart from the prospect that a man of these views will join the inner circle of the White House on Oct. 1, a date determined by the full vesting of his court pen sion. One can hope that he will have some positive influence on administration policy and actions towards the sexual minority community. Bob Roehr